Central Florida ADU Authority

Ley ADU de Florida en 2026: Lo Que los Propietarios Pueden Realmente Hacer

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🇺🇸 English version: Florida ADU Law in 2026: What Homeowners Can Actually Do

Si ha leído algo en línea sobre las ADUs de Florida en los últimos seis meses, probablemente ha visto artículos diciendo que una ley estatal está a punto de permitir ADUs en todas partes. Eso no es preciso. El proyecto de ley del que hablaban esos artículos — Florida SB 48 (en inglés) — falló el último día de la sesión legislativa de 2026. No hay una nueva ley estatal de ADU.

How to Check if Your Central Florida Lot Can Accommodate an ADU

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🌐 ¿Prefiere español? Este artículo está disponible en español: Cómo verificar si su lote puede tener una ADU

Before you talk to a builder, before you price out a loan, before you draw anything on a napkin — you need to know whether an ADU is legally buildable on your specific parcel. The answer is a function of several things: your jurisdiction, your zoning district, your lot’s dimensions, what structures are already on it, and what private restrictions are recorded against your deed. This guide walks you through how to answer each one in about an hour using free public tools.

Cómo verificar si su lote en el Centro de Florida puede tener una ADU

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🇺🇸 English version: How to Check if Your Central Florida Lot Can Accommodate an ADU

Antes de hablar con un contratista, antes de cotizar un préstamo, antes de hacer cualquier boceto, necesita saber si una unidad de vivienda accesoria (ADU) es legalmente construible en su parcela específica. La respuesta depende de varios factores: su jurisdicción, su distrito de zonificación, las dimensiones de su lote, las estructuras que ya existen en él y las restricciones privadas registradas en su escritura. Esta guía le explica cómo responder cada pregunta en aproximadamente una hora usando herramientas públicas gratuitas.

How to Verify a Florida Contractor's License Before Signing

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Most homeowners who have been defrauded by a Florida contractor could have avoided it with two five-minute searches on free state websites. This guide walks through exactly what to check, what the results should look like, and the specific red flags that should make you walk away before you sign.

Why this check is not optional

Florida’s contracting industry is regulated by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). Unlicensed contracting is a misdemeanor on the first offense and a felony on repeat offenses under § 489.127, Fla. Stat. — but “unlicensed” here is not the only failure mode you need to guard against. More common is improperly licensed: a contractor operating under a license class that does not cover ADU construction, a license that has lapsed, a license under disciplinary review, a license held by a qualifier who is not actually running the company, or a license that is real but belongs to someone else entirely.

How to Request Three Competitive ADU Bids

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The most common mistake Central Florida homeowners make when soliciting ADU bids is treating it as an informal process. They talk to three builders, each contractor describes what they would do, three very different proposals come back, and the homeowner chooses the cheapest without realizing the three bids are not pricing the same thing. The “$48,000 builder” wins, sixteen weeks later the homeowner is paying $73,000 in change orders to bring the job up to what the $62,000 bid already included, and the entire process was a farce.

ADU Options in The Villages and Surrounding Communities

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Most people come to The Villages by choice. They spent years imagining a retirement community built for active living, researched it carefully, and then moved here deliberately. The rules (the CDDs, the architectural standards, the 55-plus requirement) were part of the appeal, not despite it. They are part of what makes the neighborhood work.

This guide is written with that in mind. It is not a guide to working around The Villages’ rules. It is a guide to understanding what those rules actually say about secondary dwellings, how they interact with Sumter, Marion, and Lake County ordinances, and where realistic pathways exist for keeping family close, whether that means a caregiver cottage, an in-law suite, or a property in one of the surrounding communities where more options are available.

What to Know About ADUs and Septic Systems in Central Florida

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Most Central Florida homeowners shopping ADU plans price the unit, the slab, the impact fees, and the meter upgrades. Then a septic contractor opens a soil pit in the back yard, and the project’s bottom line jumps by $8,000 to $30,000 in an afternoon. This guide is for the homeowner whose property is on septic and who has not priced the system side yet. It is not a step-by-step build guide. It is a knowledge briefing covering the rules, the math, the system types, the cost ranges, and the Central Florida wrinkles that reliably blow up budgets that did not account for them.

Security Acknowledgments

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Researchers who have responsibly disclosed security issues affecting centralfloridaadu.com are recognized below. Coordinated disclosure is a real contribution to a small operation like this one, and we credit the people who do it well — clear reproduction steps, demonstrated impact, and no public posting before resolution.

2026

No acknowledgments yet. As reports come in and reach resolution, researchers will be listed here.

How to be listed

Report a vulnerability under our disclosure policy. With your consent, we will list your name or handle, the date of disclosure, and a brief description of the issue category. Specifics are withheld until any active risk is mitigated.

Vulnerability Disclosure Policy

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This policy covers centralfloridaadu.com and its subdomains. The operator welcomes reports from security researchers and treats all good-faith reports seriously.

Scope

In scope: centralfloridaadu.com and any subdomain operated by this site, except where explicitly excluded.

Out of scope

Denial-of-service attacks of any kind, including resource-exhaustion testing
Social engineering of operators, contractors, or third parties
Physical attacks against infrastructure
Reports from automated scanners without manual validation and reproducible impact
Third-party services we depend on but do not control (Cloudflare, GitHub, Porkbun, Proton). Report those upstream.
Vulnerabilities in unmodified upstream dependencies — report upstream and notify us if relevant
Issues requiring a privileged position on the local network or the victim’s device
Missing security headers without demonstrated impact
Reports based solely on tool output without exploitation evidence

How to report

Email: security@centralfloridaadu.com

Reglas para ADU en el Condado de Orange (2026)

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🇺🇸 English version: Orange County ADU Rules (2026)

El Condado de Orange abarca Orlando, Apopka, Winter Park, Ocoee, Winter Garden, Maitland y Belle Isle, además de un área no incorporada extensa. Si su parcela está dentro de los límites de una ciudad, la ordenanza de la ciudad es la que rige; vaya a la lista de ciudades más abajo. Si está en el área no incorporada del Condado de Orange, esta página cubre sus reglas.

Reglas para ADU en Kissimmee (2026)

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🇺🇸 English version: Kissimmee ADU Rules (2026)

¿Nuevo en las reglas ADU de Kissimmee? Empiece con la verificación rápida primero: nuestra guía de elegibilidad de cinco preguntas para Kissimmee (en inglés) confirma los límites de la ciudad, distrito de zonificación, tamaño del lote, convenios y distrito superpuesto STR en aproximadamente cinco minutos usando registros públicos gratuitos — sin formulario de dirección.

Si su propiedad está dentro de los límites municipales de Kissimmee, no está construyendo bajo las reglas del Condado de Osceola — está construyendo bajo el Código de Desarrollo del Suelo (Land Development Code) de la Ciudad de Kissimmee, que maneja las ADUs de manera distinta en varios puntos importantes. Uno de esos puntos es lo suficientemente grande como para sorprender a propietarios que encontraron un recurso en línea sobre “Reglas ADU del Condado de Osceola” y asumieron que eso los cubría: las ADUs en zonas residenciales de Kissimmee son un uso condicional, no un uso por derecho. Eso significa una audiencia pública.

Reglas para ADU en el Condado de Osceola (2026)

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🇺🇸 English version: Osceola County ADU Rules (2026)

El Condado de Osceola es la jurisdicción de ADU más complicada del Centro de Florida debido al Tourism Corridor Overlay (Distrito Superpuesto del Corredor Turístico). Las parcelas dentro del distrito superpuesto — una franja de terreno a lo largo de US-192 y alrededor del área de ChampionsGate, Reunion y Celebration — se rigen por reglas distintas al resto del condado: permisos para alquileres a corto plazo, permisos de mayor densidad, y esquemas de tarifas distintos.

Corrections

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Every page on this site is sourced to a primary document: a county ordinance, a state statute, a permit office fee schedule, or a direct agency statement. When that sourcing is wrong, outdated, or incomplete, we correct it on the record and update the relevant page.

How to report an error

Email corrections@centralfloridaadu.com with:

The URL of the page where the error appears
The specific claim you believe is wrong
A source, if you have one (ordinance section, county fee schedule, permit office statement)

We verify every submission against the primary source. You can expect a response within 48 hours and a correction or explanation within five business days. If we correct the record, we note it in the log below.

ADU Impact Fees Across Central Florida: 2026 Comparison

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Impact fees are the single biggest variable in Central Florida ADU project budgets, and they vary more than almost anything else across the nine counties. A project that costs $2,000 in permit and impact fees in Marion County can cost $28,000+ in the same square footage in Osceola County. This page puts all nine counties and the three incorporated cities we’ve covered side by side.

These are estimates for planning purposes. Impact fee schedules change, the applicable fee depends on ADU size and location within a county, and some fees are collected by multiple agencies. Verify every line item with the relevant permit office before finalizing any budget.

Does My Kissimmee Lot Qualify for an ADU? Five Questions, No Address Required

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Some websites will offer to check your Kissimmee address for ADU eligibility in exchange for your contact information. You do not need to do that. Every piece of data those tools pull is available for free through public government portals, and you can run the same check yourself in about five minutes. This guide walks you through it — five questions in order, each answered by a specific public record.

Florida's ADU Bill Failed: Your County's Rules Still Apply

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Florida Senate Bill 48 would have required every county and city in the state to allow ADUs, no exceptions. It passed the Florida Senate 38 to 0. Then it stalled in the House, got dropped from a related housing bill during last-minute budget negotiations, and never received a floor vote. When the legislative session ended on March 13, 2026, SB 48 died with it.

What SB 48 would have done

If it had passed, SB 48 would have:

Clermont Cuts ADU Impact Fees to 25% of Standard Rate

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Clermont City Council adopted Ordinance 2026-001 on January 13, 2026, reducing impact fees assessed on ADU construction to one-quarter of the standard residential rate. The ordinance text states:

“To the extent any impact fee set forth in this Ordinance shall be assessed due to the construction or improvement of an ADU, such fee in the impact fee schedule shall be charged at one-quarter the rate in the fee schedule.”

Orlando Launches ADU Incentive Program: Up to $14,400 in Combined Rebates

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The City of Orlando launched a two-tier ADU incentive program in 2026, funded at $1.5 million through the end of 2027. The program is available to property owners inside Orlando city limits who complete an ADU permit and, for the larger Tier 2 rebate, agree to rent to an income-qualified tenant. City Planning Director Jason Burton told ClickOrlando the city was “kind of missing all that incremental development, that latent demand for accessory dwelling units.”

About Central Florida ADU Authority

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Who runs this site

Central Florida ADU Authority is written and maintained by Andy West, a Marion County resident and healthcare software implementation analyst. I live in Ocala, at the northern edge of the nine counties this site covers, and I spend an unreasonable amount of time driving south to permit offices in Orange, Seminole, and Polk to verify the rules I publish. I have spent the last several years watching friends, family, and neighbors try to make sense of the region’s housing market, and I have spent a lot of time personally reading zoning code. It is a strange hobby, but it turns out to be a useful one as Florida restructures its housing laws in 2026.

Contact

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The fastest way to reach us is email: hello@centralfloridaadu.com

We read every message. You should expect a reply within 48 hours on weekdays, sometimes same-day. We are not a large operation — this site is written and maintained by one person in Marion County — so we ask for a little patience if your message comes in on a weekend or during a Florida legislative session when we’re heads-down verifying rule changes.

Disclosure Policy

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This page explains exactly how Central Florida ADU Authority makes money, where affiliate relationships exist, and how those relationships do — and do not — influence what we publish. We take the view that readers are better served by clarity than by subtle hedging, so this page is written plainly.

How we make money

The site earns revenue in three ways.

Display advertising. We run a modest amount of display advertising through a standard ad network. Ad placement is algorithmic; advertisers do not know which specific articles their ads appear on and cannot request editorial placement. If an ad for a particular builder appears next to an article that mentions a different builder, that is coincidence, not coordination.

Privacy Policy

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Last updated: April 17, 2026.

Central Florida ADU Authority is a small, editorial site. We collect as little personal data as the web allows, we do not sell it, and we never will. This page describes what we collect and why, in plain language.

What we collect

Analytics — aggregate, no cookies, no cross-site tracking. We use Plausible Analytics, a privacy-first analytics service that does not use cookies, does not track individuals across sites, and is compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and PECR out of the box. Plausible tells us how many people visited a given page, roughly where in the world the traffic came from (country-level, not city), which other site referred them, and what browser category they used. It does not tell us who you are, store any identifier on your device, or follow you around the internet. Plausible publishes its full data collection practices at plausible.io/data-policy.